The 2024 presidential election is reaching its final inning, with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL.) making one last effort to raise his chances for the GOP nomination.
This week, DeSantis urged former President Trump to debate him ahead of the Iowa caucus, which takes place on January 15.
Trump, whose support now tops 50 percent in Iowa, has an overwhelming lead over DeSantis, 16 percent.
“If Donald Trump and Nikki Haley are going to continue to spend millions against me on television with false attacks, they should at least have the courage to meet on the debate stage,” DeSantis wrote on X. “Now that Nikki Haley has been shamed into coming to the CNN debate, it’s time for Donald Trump to follow suit and join us.”
If Donald Trump and Nikki Haley are going to continue to spend millions against me on television with false attacks, they should at least have the courage to meet on the debate stage.
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) December 15, 2023
Now that Nikki Haley has been shamed into coming to the CNN debate, it's time for Donald Trump… https://t.co/n1xUJpNIXv
According to a Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa poll, 51 percent of likely Republican caucusgoers say they would vote for Trump as their first choice for president.
📊 2024 IOWA REPUBLICAN CAUCUS
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) December 14, 2023
• Trump — 54% (+37)
• DeSantis — 17%
• Haley — 15%
• Ramaswamy — 7%
• Christie — 4%
• Hutchinson — 1%
ISU/Civiqs | 438 LV | 12/8-13 | ±6%https://t.co/2shc73KRL3 pic.twitter.com/xBEARgmDmR
DeSantis’s request comes as former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) agreed to participate in CNN’s Hawkeye State debate.
Haley, who has tied with DeSantis regarding Iowa polls, has seen a spike in support between August and October, with polling numbers going from six percent to 16 percent.
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“The field may have shrunk, but it may have made Donald Trump even stronger than he was,” said pollster J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Co., which conducted the Iowa Poll, said. “I would call his lead commanding at this point. There's not much benefit of fewer candidates for either Ron DeSantis or Nikki Haley.”
CNN announced that it would hold two Republican primary debates not sanctioned by the Republican National Committee (RNC). Previously, this was not allowed because GOP primary candidates were required to sign a pledge promising not to participate in non-sanctioned RNC debates.
However, the RNC said it would not participate in future debates, releasing candidates from that promise.
DeSantis is not the only candidate to call on Trump to participate in a debate. Haley urged him to take the stage as well.
“As the debate stage continues to shrink, it’s getting harder for Donald Trump to hide,” she said.
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